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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26569342">Honey-Sweetened Kisses</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tehfanglyfish/pseuds/tehfanglyfish'>tehfanglyfish</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Merlin (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Canon Era, Deviates From Canon, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Grand Gestures, M/M, Mildly Ridiculous</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:42:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,098</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26569342</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tehfanglyfish/pseuds/tehfanglyfish</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur and Leon wage a fierce battle, of a sort, in the name of love. Gwen and Merlin show their appreciation.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gwen/Leon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>208</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Honey-Sweetened Kisses</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A short one-shot for the twelfth anniversary of the show's first broadcast.</p><p>Not my franchise, not my characters, no money for me.</p><p>Do not post my work on other sites.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“We can do this!”</p><p>Arthur’s voice rang out full and clear, echoing off the stone castle walls.</p><p>“We can, even if it’s only the two of us, left on our own,” Leon agreed. The doubt that had crept into his voice only a few seconds before was gone, his tone now close to matching Arthur’s.</p><p>“We are knights of Camelot. We are capable, we are steadfast, we are determined,” Arthur continued.</p><p>Leon nodded. “We’ve faced plenty of danger over the years and come through better for it.”</p><p>“And we’ve spent countless hours preparing. If we don’t panic and remember our training, we’ll be fine.”</p><p>“For the love of Camelot!” Leon cried, caught up in the moment.</p><p>“For the love of Camelot!” Arthur seconded.</p><p>Then the time for talking was over, as the two men began the battle in earnest.</p><p>By any measure, it was a daunting task that lay before them, one that required skill and endurance. Brute force wouldn’t get them to victory. This day mandated careful strategy. Time was working against them and they must move quickly, though not too fast. Precise calculations were required if they were to succeed. One misstep would doom them to failure.</p><p>Things began smoothly enough, Arthur and Leon moving together in a careful choreography that came from a bond years in the making. They’d danced around each other on training grounds and battlefields so many times that it was easy for each man to anticipate the other’s next move, providing assistance when it was needed most.</p><p>“The mace!” Leon cried out, drawing Arthur’s attention to it before it was too late.</p><p>“Your cloak!” Arthur yelled a short while later, freeing Leon from it and stomping out the flames that were starting to lick its hem.</p><p>There was no time to worry about singed clothing so Leon kicked it to the side, a bad move it turned out, as Arthur, hurrying back to resume beating on his target, tripped and crashed to the ground.</p><p>Undeterred, he rose like a mighty king of legend and continued on with the task before him.</p><p>As time passed, conditions deteriorated. The floor grew wet and slick. There were more slips and burns, a few scrapes and cuts. But nothing that a knight of Camelot couldn’t handle.</p><p>Finally, it was over. After spending an entire afternoon engaged in a formidable challenge that tested them almost to their breaking point, they were finished.</p><p>Collapsing on a bench, they took a minute to catch their breath and reflect on what they’d done.</p><p>“I knew we could do it,” Arthur said, before taking a long drink from a waterskin.</p><p>“I never had a doubt,” Leon lied, accepting the water Arthur passed to him.</p><p>“And look at our prize. It’s magnificent.”</p><p>“The best one I’ve ever seen.”</p><p>“It will be remembered in legends and so will we because it’s…”</p><p>“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Audrey cut in. “It’s just a spice cake. My twelve year-old apprentice can make one and hers aren’t as lopsided as yours. What did you two do in here, anyway? You spilled mace everywhere. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the kitchens so wrecked, even on feast days. Even when I let Tyr from the stables cook his mother’s…”</p><p>Audrey’s voice trailed off as she wandered into the larder and Arthur and Leon took that as their sign to go.</p><p>“Oi! You’re not leaving until you’ve cleaned up this mess.”</p><p>She had somehow leapt in front of them, brandishing her ladle like a weapon.</p><p>“But we’re tired,” Arthur said. “My arms ache from beating the currants for the filling.”</p><p>She glared at him.</p><p>“And Merlin and Guinevere are waiting,” he added.</p><p>“We promised them a surprise to show them how much we appreciate the way they’re always taking care of us,” Leon explained.</p><p>Audrey eyed them up and down.</p><p>“Fine. You can clean it up later. But it had better be spotless when I show up to cook breakfast in the morning.”</p><p>*****</p><p>“We are going to be here all night,” Arthur said. “This honey refuses to come off the pan.”</p><p>“You think that’s bad, try scrubbing this blackcurrant stain. I think it might be easier to just buy Audrey a new workbench.”</p><p>“And we haven’t even made it to the dishes,” Arthur grumbled. “Still, it was worth it.”</p><p>“Definitely,” Leon said. “The way their eyes lit up when we carried it in…”</p><p>“They both ate seconds. That means they had to like the taste, right? And then there were the honey-sweetened kisses…”</p><p>Both men turned bright red and looked away.</p><p>“Speaking of which,” Gwen’s voice called from behind, “we came to collect you.”</p><p>They turned to find her and Merlin standing in the kitchen doorway.</p><p>“I’m afraid it’s going to be awhile,” Arthur said, gesturing at the mess that remained. “We still need to…”</p><p>“Why don’t you let me handle that?” Merlin smiled.</p><p>All it took were a couple of short incantations and the kitchen was back to normal.</p><p>“I feel like we’ve somehow broken the knight’s code,” Leon said. “We promised Audrey a clean kitchen but…”</p><p>“And it is,” Gwen said. “Now stop worrying about how it got clean and come along. There is another urgent matter that requires your presence. In private.”</p><p>She took a blushing Leon by the hand and led him away.</p><p>“Are <em>you</em> worried about the knight’s code?” Merlin teased as he wrapped his arms around Arthur, backing him against the workbench before claiming his mouth in a kiss that started sweet but grew hotter as it intensified.</p><p>“Not in the slightest,” Arthur panted when he drew back to breathe.</p><p>“Good. Because I’m pretty sure what I have planned is a violation. If not of the knight’s code, then probably of something to do with health and safety. Now fetch the honey. We’re going to need it.”</p><p>*****</p><p>“We can never tell a soul,” Arthur said hours later as they crept through the castle. “If Audrey finds out…”</p><p>“She won’t. And besides, it’s not like I didn’t sanitize everything before we left. I doubt the kitchens have ever been that clean.”</p><p>“Fair point,” Arthur conceded as they stepped inside their chambers. “Besides, I’m the king and this is my castle. If I want to… in the kitchen… then…”</p><p>“You’re cute when you’re flustered,” Merlin said, kissing his cheek.</p><p>They changed into nightclothes and slipped under the covers.</p><p>“I need to start planning next week’s menu,” Arthur said, thinking aloud. “If you liked blackcurrant and spice cake enough to… anyway, I think Leon and I will need to have a long talk about tarts.”</p><p> </p>
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